Who Do I Look For?

Jesus calls us to make disciples, but who do we look for to invest in? What makes someone a good fit for discipleship? Here are four simple, Biblical principles to help you discern who to initiate a discipleship relationship with.

1. Who is Spiritually Hungry in Your Sphere of Influence?

Jesus consistently looked for people who were spiritually hungry to disciple. Read John 1.35-51 to see this in action.

There we read that Jesus found some of his first disciples at John the Baptist's revival in the wilderness - people who were hungry and already seeking God.

Then we read about Philip who was so spiritually eager that he immediately responded to Jesus's invitation to follow Him.

Next we see Nathanael was initially skeptical, but he was hungry enough to investigate whether Jesus was truly the Messiah Philip claimed Him to be.

This pattern continues throughout Jesus's ministry. In John 7, Jesus declared that if anyone was spiritually thirsty, they could come to Him and drink.

So who is spiritually hungry in your sphere of influence?

2. Who is Humble in Your Sphere of Influence?

A second essential characteristic to look for is humility. Jesus consistently sought disciples who were humble and teachable, those who were willing to leave behind their own agendas to follow Him and His Word.

Here are some examples of what this looked like practically:

• It's the fishermen who immediately drop their nets when Jesus calls.

• It's the tax collector who abandons his lucrative but corrupt profession without hesitation when Jesus called.

• It's the Samaritan woman who recognized her need for a Savior rather than thinking they have it all figured out.

In contrast, pride makes people unteachable. The proud resist instruction, justify their current path, and struggle to admit when they're wrong. They want to follow Jesus on their own terms rather than surrendering to His lordship.

As we consider who to disciple, let us look for those who are humble enough to follow Jesus wherever He leads and willing to align their lives with His Word.

3. Who is Faithful and Reliable in Your Sphere of Influence?

In addition to those who are spiritually hungry and humble, the Apostle Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2.2 to look for those who were faithful, reliable and able to take the discipleship they have received and multiply it to others.

4. Who is the Holy Spirit highlighting?

In Luke 6, we see Jesus spent all night in prayer before calling His apostles. We want to follow that example and pray and ask the Lord to highlight for us who He is calling us to disciple.

Where Do I Start?

After you have prayed about who, you might be asking of were do I start with them? We have foundational discipleship lessons mapped out here.